System and method for delivering mystery awards

ABSTRACT

A gaming system, comprising a plurality of gaming machines operating over a network, includes a bonus server for providing a promotion implementing a mystery award. The method for delivering a mystery award to a player over the computer gaming network comprises determining an award is to be delivered. A group of players eligible for the determined award is selected and notified of their eligibility to win the award. A portion of the group is then eliminated, thereby resulting in remaining eligible members. The eliminated members are notified of their elimination and the remaining eligible members are again eliminated from eligibility in subsequent steps until one or more award winners are selected. The one or more award winners are awarded the mystery award, and the eliminated players can be awarded a celebration (e.g. consolation) prize.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELEATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/600,610 filed Aug. 10, 2004, whose contents areincorporated herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This disclosure relates to networks of gaming devices, and, moreparticularly, to providing systems and methods for delivering awards toa player of a networked gaming device.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Gaming networks are communication networks of interconnected gamingdevices. Typically, gaming networks include a collection of gamingdevices, or EGMs (Electronic Gaming Machines) that are linked to acentral server. As the EGMs are played, players win games, bonuses, andawards. Typically any payment to the player is made to a credit meter onthe EGM, but payment can also be made in other ways as is known in theart.

One problem that exists in modern gaming networks is that prizes orpayments can be made “automatically” without the player knowing inadvance that a prize will be awarded. In some cases, players can beawarded a prize without even realizing that they have won such a prize.Accordingly, the anticipation of winning the prize is seriouslycurtailed and reduces both the players enjoyment of the EGM and thechance that the player with continue to play the EGM in the future.

Embodiments of the invention address these and other deficiencies in theprior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description may be best understood by reading the disclosure withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B together are a block diagram showing components of agaming network according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing example components of a securewireless network operating in conjunction with the gaming network ofFIG. 1, according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an example electronic gaming device including feedbackmechanisms for communication with a player.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a preferred implementation processaccording to teachings of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention are directed to delivering winnings,bonuses, awards, prizes, comps, or other benefits to players of gamingdevices. Delivering the awards using embodiments of the inventioncreates anticipation and excitement for players, even if they do notultimately win the main prize. Additionally, celebration or consolationprizes can be awarded or delivered in a manner that promotes excitementand repeat play.

As mentioned above, embodiments of the invention operate in conjunctionwith a gaming network. An example modem gaming network is described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,655,961, assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in theirentirety for all purposes. Embodiments of the invention are alsooperable on a computer gaming network such as that illustrated in FIGS.1A and 1B. In a gaming network 5, a number of EGMs 10 are organized intogroups called banks. Individual banks 20, 22, and 24, can contain almostany number of gaming devices 10. Additionally, any number of banks ispossible in a gaming network 5.

Each bank is controlled by a bank controller 30, which is coupled toeach EGM 10 by a communication mechanism 12. The communication mechanism12 can be a cable or secure wireless network. The bank controller 30facilitates data communication between the gaming devices 10 in itsassociated bank and the other components on the-gaming network 5. Insome embodiments, the bank controller 30 need not be present, and theEGMs 10 communicate directly with the other portions of the gamingnetwork 5.

Configuration data for the gaming network 5 is stored in one or morenetwork data repository, such as repositories 61, 67, and 69. In someembodiments, the data repositories 61, 67, and 69 are made of batterybacked-up non-volatile SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), whichprovides dual advantages of having extremely fast data input and output,and having a power source that is independent from the network 5 or thegaming devices 10. The data repositories 61, 67, and 69 may also bemirrored, i.e., duplicate copies are made in real-time. This preventsdata from being lost if one of the battery sources should fail or othercatastrophic event. Data is stored in the data repositories 61, 67, and69 using CRCs (Cyclic Redundancy Checks) and timestamps to ensure thedata is valid and non-corrupt.

Configuration data is created at a configuration workstation 44 andstored in the data repositories 61, 67, and 69. Configuration dataincludes message data for players as well as for promotions such asbonuses. Player message data is stored in the data repository 61, whereit can be accessed by a player server 60. Player message data caninclude welcoming messages, card-in/card-out messages, and specialmessages about current promotions, for instance. The player server 60reads the message data from the data repository 61 and sends a properlyformatted message back to the bank controllers 30 and EGMs 10. Theseplayer messages may be displayed on a screen 32 for an entire bank, ormay be shown on a screen directly mounted to the EGM 10 (not shown).

Other configuration data created at the configuration workstation 44 andstored in the data repositories 61, 67, and 69 includes casinoconfiguration data, such as identification of each EGM 10 on a casinofloor. Additional parameters stored in the data repository 67, 69 areparameters used in promotions, such as bonus promotions. Theseparameters include such items as what EGMs 10 are included in thepromotion, how to fund a bonus, i.e., if a bonus is funded by a portionof the coin-in amount of the EGMs 10, whether a paid bonus is to betaxed or un-taxed, and other parameters.

As players play the EGMs 10 in the gaming network 5, the EGMs send datafrom their coin meters, or meter values. One or more bonus server 66and/or promotion server 68 stores these meter values, or summaries ofthe meter values, in its associated data repository 67. The servers 66,68 can also operate based on the present and stored meter values todetermine an amount of money being wagered on the EGMs in nearreal-time. The servers 66, 68 can use the amount of money being wageredto calculate bonus pools that are funded as a percentage of the coin-inof participating EGMs 10. For instance, the servers 66, 68 can calculatea present amount of a bonus pool that is funded at one-half of onepercent of the coin-in for the participating EGMs 10. An example ofbonuses that can be operated from the bonus server 66 includes LUCKYCOIN and progressive bonuses, for example.

Of course, the servers 60, 66, and 68 could be embodied in a singledevice, or in other configurations, and do not have to appear in FIG. 1A, which is only a functional representation. Likewise, the datarepositories 61, 67, and 69 could be embodied in a single device.

As data is generated by the EGMs 10, data is passed throughcommunication hardware, such as Ethernet hubs 46, and a concentrator 48.Of course, switches or bridges could also be used. The concentrator 48is also coupled to a translator 50, which includes a compatibilitybuffer so that the data from the EGMs 10 can be used by a server cluster56 (FIG. 1B), and other parts of the gaming network 5.

The server cluster 56 (FIG. 1B) may, of course, be embodied by more thanone physical server box. In practice, including multiple server boxeswith dynamic load sharing and backup capabilities of one another ensuresthe gaming network 5 is nearly always operational.

The server cluster 56 is attached to and manages several databases, suchas a slot accounting database 90, a patron management database 92, aticket wizard database 94, a “Cage Credit and Table Games” (CCTG)database 96, a player tracking database 98, and a cashless database 99.These databases are collectively referred to as the databases 100. Ofcourse these databases 100 are only exemplary, and more or fewerdatabases can be part of the gaming network 5. In some embodiments,particular servers in the server cluster 56 manage a single database.For example, a single server in the server cluster 56 may manage theslot accounting database 90, while another server manages the patronmanagement database 92. Such implementation details are well within theexpertise of one skilled in the art. However, for ease of illustration,FIG. 1 shows a single server cluster 56 that is coupled to all of thedatabases 100.

In operation, the slot accounting database 90 receives and storesstatistical and financial information about the EGMs, such as dates,times, totals, game outcomes, etc. The patron management database 92stores information regarding identified players, such as how often andwhich games they play, how often they stay in the casino, their totalloyalty points, past awards, preferences, etc. The ticket wizarddatabase 94 stores data about tickets that are issued by the EGMs, suchas payouts and cash out tickets, as well as promotional tickets.

The CCTG database 96 stores information about non-EGM 10 data in acasino. That data is typically generated by a client station (not shown)coupled to one of the bank controllers 30. The client station can belocated in a casino cage or at a table game, for instance, and datagenerated by the client station is forwarded to the CCTG database 96where it is stored. For example, data such as when and how many chips acustomer buys, when a customer creates or pays off markers, when acustomer cashes checks, etc. is stored in the CCTG database 96.

The player tracking database 98 is a subset database of the patronmanagement database 92, and is used when data retrieval speed isimportant, such as for real time promotions and bonusing. The cashlessdatabase 99 stores information about payment options other than bills,coins, and tokens.

Application clients 80 and 82 couple to the server cluster 56, and canretrieve data from any or all of the databases 100. Application programsrun on an application client 80, 82 to provide users information aboutthe gaming network 5 and the casino in which the network is establishedand to cause functions to operate on the gaming network 5. An exampleapplication client 80 could include, for instance, an accounting serverthat allows queries and provides reports on financial and statisticalinformation on single or groups of EGMs 10.

A data interface 88 presents a uniform interface to other applicationsand servers (not shown), and grants access to retrieve data from thedatabases 100. Typically these other clients or servers would not becontrolled by the same entity that provides the other components of thegaming network 5, and therefore the data interface 88 grants onlyguarded access to the databases 100. Other components of the gamingnetwork 5 of FIG. 1 are discussed in detail below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of the gaming system accordingto embodiments of the invention. In FIG. 2, a gaming floor 118 isillustrated. The gaming floor includes banks 120 of gaming machines.Several banks 120 are illustrated, although the number of banks on agaming floor 118 could be as few as one (or simply a single EGM 10 notassociated with any bank) or as many as is practical. Illustrated inFIG. 2 are five banks 120.

Also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are a number of wireless servers 130, alsoreferred to as wireless access points (WAPs). The wireless servers 130transmit and receive RF (Radio Frequency) signals over the gaming floor118, thereby communicating with one or more wireless devices 140.Example wireless servers 130 are those that adhering to IEEE 802.11b,802.11a, or 802.11g protocols, but any acceptable communication protocolcould be used. The wireless servers 130 are connected to each other viawires or wireless links, as is known in the art. The wireless servers130 and wireless devices 140 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be implemented asa same set of wireless servers 130 and wireless devices 140, or may, infact, be separate systems, where the wireless devices 140 onlycommunicate with a particular wireless server 130, and not all suchservers, in the game network 5. The wireless devices 140 both receiveand transmit information to the wireless servers 130, as is known in theart.

The wireless servers 130 are distributed around the gaming floor 118 soas to cover as much of the gaming floor 118 with the RF signals aspossible. In some instances, areas of the gaming floor 118 are coveredwith RF signals from more than one wireless server 130. In such a case,the wireless devices 140 typically automatically establish communicationwith the wireless server 130 that is nearest the particular wirelessdevice 140.

The wireless servers 130 may be separated from the gaming network 5 by afirewall 150. A firewall is hardware and software operating to protectresources of a network. Specifically, the firewall 150 can be atunneling firewall that encapsulates and encrypts data packets travelingbetween the wireless servers 130 and the firewall 150. An applicationserver 110 can be used in conjunction with the wireless servers 130 onthe game floor 118. Additionally, a switch 160 could be used topartition particular IP (Internet Protocol) or other addresses so thepartitioned addresses are only available by the wireless servers 130, orthe wireless devices 140 that couple to the wireless servers 130.Although illustrated outside of the gaming floor 118, the firewall 150,server 110, and switch 160 could all also be within the gaming floor118. Their physical location is unimportant.

With reference back to FIG. 1, the application server 115 of FIG. 2could be embodied by a Mobile Data Access (MDA) server 108. The firewall150 of FIG. 2 is not present in FIG. 1 but could, of course, be addedbetween the MDA server 108 and the rest of the gaming network 5. In FIG.1, the MDA server 108 connects to the gaming network 5 through acommunication hub 102. The communication hub 102, in turn, is connectedto the translator 50 and to an event monitor 104. The event monitor 104is also coupled to the server cluster 56, which was described above.

The communication hub 102 collects data from the floor 118 as “events”when they happen and when they are reported by, for example, an EGM 10.Events include, for example, doors to the EGMs 10 being opened, jackpotsor other large amounts being awarded, etc. The event monitor 104 isconnected between the connection hub 102 and the server cluster 56. Inoperation, the event monitor 104 combines live data from thecommunication hub 102 with historical data from one or more of thedatabases 100, and generates warnings, indications, and signals forsomeone monitoring the gaming network 5. For instance, the event monitor104 will create a warning if the door to a particular EGM 10 is openedbut no employee identification card has been inserted in that EGM 10.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example EGM 10, including communication feedbackto a player. The gaming device 10 includes a bill acceptor 320 thataccepts and validates bills, tickets or vouchers. Bill validatorsoperate by scanning barcodes or other identifying features on tickets orvouchers, and by examining printing or other security features on papercurrency to determine authenticity. Bill validators are well known inthe gaming arts.

The gaming device 10 also includes one or more coin slots 322 foraccepting coins or tokens. An internal hopper 324 temporarily storescoins or tokens for later payment to the player through a payout bin328, if the player chooses to cash out in such a manner. Bills can alsobe stored in a separate hopper, and dispensed to the player through thebill acceptor 320 or through another bill slot 326 in the hopper 324,similar to an ATM machine.

A set of game electronics 315 manages the central operations of thegaming device 10. For example, the game electronics 315 counts themonetary value input into the game 10, and tracks and stores values forthis and other data items. The game electronics 315 also control thegame play of the gaming device 10, such as by accepting user input fromvarious buttons (not shown) to cause credits to be wagered, as well ascause motors to spin the game wheels, speakers to generate sound, andcircuits to generate lights or video signals. The game electronics 315may be a main board that interfaces with various controller boards thatcontrol specific functions in the gaming device 10, or may control thevarious devices directly.

One of the items controlled by the game electronics 315 is an internalgame printer 330. The game printer 330 can be of any type known in theart, such as impact, inkjet, thermal, laser, and can be a color printeror standard black and white. Even if the game printer 330 is onlycapable of printing in a single color, cardstock or paper used by theprinter could be pre-printed in color.

The game printer 330 is used for “cashing out” machine credits when aplayer wants to end game play or to move to another machine. A playercashes out by selecting appropriate buttons on the gaming device 10, andthen by indicating if he or she wants to be paid out in cash or invoucher. If the player desires to be cashed out in cash, bills can beejected through the bill acceptor 320 or bill slot 326 of the internalhopper 324, or coins or tokens can drop from the hopper 324 into thepayout bin 328. If the player wishes to be cashed out with a voucher orticket, such a voucher can be printed by the game printer 330. Thevoucher can then be taken to a casino attendant to be converted to cash,or could be inserted into the bill acceptor 320 of another gaming device10, which validates the voucher and transfers the value to the creditmeter of the new game.

In addition to printing tickets related to game and bonus functions,such as a cash out voucher, the game printer 330 can print tickets forplayer awards as well, as discussed below.

The gaming device 10 also includes game-mounted components of a playertracking system. The components are generally shown affixed to a frame340, which is mounted to the gaming device 10. Although components ofthe tracking system interact with the gaming device 10, it is a separatesystem from the gaming device.

The player tracking system includes a set of electronic inputs andoutputs for interfacing with the player. For example, in the gamingdevice shown in FIG. 3, portions of the player tracking system mountedto the frame 340 include a card slot with a card reader 342, a touchscreen display 352, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). A detaileddescription of such a touch screen display 52 is described in US patentapplication Ser. 10/170,238, “Method and Apparatus for Communicatingwith a Player of a Networked Gaming Device,” and is incorporated hereinby reference for all purposes. As described in the 10/170,238application, a bonus engine 350 can manage the touch screen display 352,and card reader 342, as well as provides bonusing and other functions.Additionally, components elsewhere in the gaming network 5, such as thepromotion server 68 or application clients 80, 82 (FIG. 1B) can generatesignals that cause the touch screen 352 to show a message to the player.For instance, the touch screen 352 can be so controlled to inform theplayer that they have won a special award, while informing other playersthat such an award has been given.

The EGM 10 can also include a system printer 354 and speakers 356mounted to the frame 40 of the player tracking system. The systemprinter 354 and speakers 356 can also be coupled to and managed by thebonus engine 350. The system printer 354 works in conjunction with thegame printer 330 in that the system printer 354 can print the awards,while the game printer 330 can print the traditional game cash outvouchers. The speakers 356 can be made to produce sounds or music by thebonus engine 350. In other embodiments of the invention, components ofthe tracking system can be integrated with or controlled by the gameelectronics 315, or other components of the gaming network 5.

Embodiments of the invention use the above-described gaming network, orsimilar networks, to deliver winnings, promotions, benefits, awards,prizes, bonuses, and/or comps, etc. to a player of one of the EGMs 10.For brevity, this disclosure refers to “awards,” but the term is meantto be defined broadly as any type of benefit delivered to or availableto a player.

In one example embodiment, when the network determines to deliver anaward, players other than the player who won the award aresystematically “eliminated” from winning the award. This buildsexcitement for the players who remain eligible for the award. Forexample, 100 players on a casino floor could be divided into equal ornon-equal groups and sequentially and/or systematically “eliminated”from eligibility. In this example, the 100 players could be notifiedthat they are eligible to receive an award, such as by notifying them onthe EGM 10 or a communication device coupled to the EGM. In oneembodiment a display on the EGM 10 could display a notification messageand/or speakers at the EGM could indicate to the player that they areeligible for such an award. All of the players eligible for the awardcould have a similar display. Once the players have been notified of thepossibility of such an award, non-winning players could be “eliminated”by showing a non-winning message on the display, and/or sounding aparticular audio notification over the speakers. In one example, thenetwork could “eliminate” 10 players every 30 seconds. Thenon-eliminated players could enjoy the anticipation of winning the awardthe longer they stayed “in” and were not eliminated. Additionally,celebration prizes could be awarded to players who were eliminated. Evenfurther, the celebration prizes could increase in value the longer theplayers were eligible for the prizes. For instance, if players made itto the 7 ^(th) “round” of eligibility, they could receive a celebrationprize having a higher value than players eliminated in the first round.Players continue to be eliminated until the player or players who wonthe ultimate or highest award were notified of their award.

Rules for award eligibility could be based on a number of factors, suchas whether the player was identified by a player tracking card, anamount of theoretical or actual win/loss, recency of play, frequency ofplayer's visits to a casino, type of games played on an EGM 10,demographics, interests, and/or historical behavior, for example.Further, eligibility could be based by specific game type, physical areaof a game floor, denomination, etc.

The total population of eligible players could be divided up in anynumber of ways. Once divided, a pay table, pool value, multiple lastbet, and/or a fixed amount could be associated with awarding an awardand a celebration award. Award pools can be funded in a number of ways,such as a percentage of coin in, percentage of coin out, a percentage ofcoins wagered, a percentage of player theoretical win or loss, or apercentage of player actual win or loss, for example. Other mechanismsfor funding include a fixed amount, a fixed value amount per unit time,and a fixed amount per group of players or machines.

In some embodiments, the level of the award pool is also the triggervalue, such as by delivering the award (or awards) after the award poolhas reached a certain value. Other trigger values can include: specificgame outcome, sets of game outcomes, consecutive game outcomes, “x”outcomes in “y” tries, outcome sets per unit time, outcomes relative toother players, for example. Player behaviors can also trigger events,such as number of points earned, win/loss per unit time, visitfrequency, handle per trip, handle per unit time, and continuous play,for instance. Still other triggers can be random, such as “Lucky Coin,”“Lucky Time,” and electronic drawings. Such triggers can initiate apromotion, such as, after such a promotion has been triggered, groups ofplayers are notified of their potential win and are eliminated over timeuntil one of the players actually wins.

Informing players of the rules and progress of the above-describedawards can be through any mechanism in the gaming network 5. Forinstance, sign 32 and sound 34 displays located near banks 20, 22, and24 of the gaming network may inform players of the existence andprogress of the award promotions. Additionally, the touch screen 52 ofFIG. 3 could be used to communicate with a player, as could playertracking VFDs as is known in the art. Video displays in the EGMs 10themselves could also be controlled to notify and inform players.

In other embodiments of the invention, celebration awards can be dividedinto separate categories. For instance, there may be multiple types (orlevels) of celebration categories. Further, there can be differentnumbers of each level of celebration awards. For example, there may beeight categories of celebration awards, with 100 celebration awards inthe first category, and 10 celebration awards in the remaining sevencategories. Each category of award could have a different monetaryamount, with the first category being a $10 instant credit, the secondcategory a $20 instant credit, and so on. Further, different categoriescan be different types of award, in different amounts. In such anexample, the first category could be a $10 machine credit, the secondcategory a $30 return credit, and the last category a $100 restaurantvoucher.

A player could be awarded any of the particular categories based on oneor more of a number of factors. For instance, if there were tencategories of celebration awards, a particular player could be awardedone of the ten types at random. Or, the particular celebration awardedto the player could be based on some data stored in the player historyin one of the databases 100 of FIG. 1B, or elsewhere on the gamingnetwork 5. Factors such as playing levels, player club tier level,frequency of visits, etc. could be referenced in determining whichcategory of celebration award to distribute to the particular player.For example, a player who has just signed up in a player club could beawarded the lowest level of celebration award, while the player in thehighest level tier receives the highest level category.

In announcing winners, winners can be determined and/or announced bycategory. As described above, announcements may be made from the sounddevices 34 coupled to the bank controllers 30 (FIG. 1A), or the speakers356 at the EGMs 10 themselves (FIG. 3). Additionally, visual displaysmay be shown on signs 32 located at the banks or on the touch screen 352located on the EGMs 10. Announcements may include audio, video, or both.In one example, the lowest celebration category winners are announcedfirst, followed by the next highest, etc, until the highest winningvalue was finally announced at the end of the sequence.

Celebration prizes could be funded in a number of different ways. Forexample, the celebration prizes could be pre-funded by an even orpro-rata distribution of the pool amongst eligible players. Using thismethod, the funding pool would accrue as percentage of coin in, coinout, etc. Upon a winning event, i.e., being selected to win acelebration award, the pool would be distributed amongst eligibleplayers according to a predefined algorithm. For a single award value,the accumulated pool could simply be divided evenly amongst all eligibleplayers. When multiple categories of awards are being distributed, suchas described above, the award pool could be distributed in a pro-ratashare amongst prize categories. Several methods of this division arepossible: For example, assume there are three available prizecategories, 1×, 3×, and 5×, where the 5× category gets a prize that is 5times the 1× category, and the 3× category gets a prize 3 times the 1×category. The number of players in each category can be determined atrandom, determined by historical play information, or can be determinedas predefined percentages of the total population of eligible players.For example: 10% of total population could be assigned to the 5× winnercategory, 80% assigned to the 3× winner category and 10% assigned to the1× winner category. If not enough funds have been collected to pay allof the awards, actual payment could be delayed until a future time whenadequate funds have been collected. Other substitutions could also bemade, such as awarding the selected players with a discount on futureplay, or a complementary item, and not awarding anything from theaccumulated pool. Payments could also be paid to cashable ornon-cashable personal wagering accounts. This would resolve an issue ofmaking payments in units less then the minimum denomination of themachine being played

In another method to fund awards, a pool can be accrued that has a prizeaward structure that consists of a single prize value for all, i.e.,every selected player is awarded the same amount, or multiple prizelevels of differing values can be awarded. The number of players in eachaward category could be determined at random or from pre-storedhistorical personal play history. In this funding mechanism, the totalaward amount that must be paid is compared to an accumulated poolamount. If the award amount exceeds pool amount, then no prizes may beawarded, and the pool can be rolled over into a next award cycle.

FIG. 4 is an example flow diagram illustrating example system flowsincorporating embodiments of the invention. A flow 400 begins at aprocess 410, where a mystery award is triggered to be delivered to aplayer. The award may be triggered when one of the events that wasdescribed above occurs, such as a Lucky Coin.

In a process 420, players are notified of their potential for winningthe award, such as by producing a message on the touch screen display352 of FIG. 3. Not all players in a casino or on a game floor need beincluded as an eligible player.

In a process 430, some of the eligible players are eliminated fromeligibility, i.e., they were not selected to win the major award.However, a process 440 determines if the eliminated players are to bepaid a celebration award. If so, the celebration award is paid in theprocess 450.

Next, a process 460 determines if all non-winning players have beeneliminated and, if not, the flow 400 loops again to notify the eligibleplayers in the process 420. This may include generating a newcommunication, such as informing the player that they remain eligiblewhile 20 previously players have been eliminated.

The flow 400 then continues eliminating players, and, if desired, payingthem celebration awards in the process 450. Not all celebration awardsneed be the same amount, and the awards could increase each time playersare eliminated.

Finally, after all of the non-winners have been eliminated, in theprocess 460, the winner or winners are notified of their win, and theawards made in process 470. The awards may be paid directly to the EGM10 credit meter, produced as a ticket voucher, or paid in any typicalmanner.

Although examples of machines and processes have been described herein,nothing prevents embodiments of this invention from working with othertypes of machines and processes. Implementation of the award payments isstraightforward in light of the above description. As always,implementation details are left to the system designer. The specificcircuits, functions, and procedures used to securely access data fromthe gaming network may be implemented in any way, with any components,without deviating from the spirit of the invention.

Thus, although particular embodiments have been described, it is notintended that such specific references be considered as limitations uponthe scope of this invention, but rather the scope is determined by thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

1. A method for delivering an award to a player over a computer gamingnetwork, comprising: determining an award is to be delivered; selectinga group of players eligible for the determined award; notifying theselected group of their eligibility; eliminating a portion of the groupfrom eligibility; notifying the eliminated portion of the group thatthey have been eliminated; continuing to eliminate portions of the groupfrom eligibility until a group of award winners is selected.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the group of award winners is a single player.3. The method of claim 1, further comprising awarding a celebrationprize to the eliminated portion of the group.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: awarding a first celebration prize to a firsteliminated portion of the group; and awarding a second celebration prizeto a second eliminated portion of the group.
 5. The method of claim 4wherein awarding a second celebration prize comprises awarding adifferent prize than that awarded as a first celebration prize.
 6. Themethod of claim 5 wherein awarding a second celebration prize comprisesawarding a different value than that awarded as a first celebrationprize.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein awarding a second celebrationprize comprises awarding a higher value of prize than that awarded as afirst celebration prize.
 8. The method of claim 4 wherein awarding asecond celebration prize comprises awarding the second celebration prizeto more players than were awarded the first celebration prize.
 9. Amethod of claim 1, wherein the step of notifying the selected group andthe eliminated portion includes displaying a notification message on adisplay associated with the gaming machine at which the player of theselected group or eliminated portion is playing indicating whether theplayer is still selected or eliminated.
 10. A method for implementing apromotion within a gaming machine network comprising a plurality ofgaming machines and a promotions server coupled to the gaming machinesover the network, the method comprising: allowing play to occur on theplurality of gaming machines; detecting at the promotions server atrigger condition and transmitting through the network responsive to thedetected trigger condition a notification signal to selected gamingmachines forming an eligible group; after transmitting the notificationsignal, transmitting an elimination signal through the network to aselected number of the eligible group machines and eliminating theselected number from the eligible group; repeating the step oftransmitting the elimination signal for a next selected number of theeligible group machines until only one or more non-eliminated, awardwinning machines remain from the original eligible group; and providingan award at the one or more award winning machines.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, each of the plurality of gaming machines including a display,the method including displaying on the display of the selected gamingmachines an eligibility message responsive to receipt of thenotification signal at the gaming machine.
 12. The method of claim 11,further including changing the eligibility indicator on the display toan elimination message responsive to receipt at the gaming machine ofthe elimination signal.
 13. The method of claim 10, further includingthe step of providing a celebration award to the selected number andnext selected number of eligible group machines.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein the celebration award for the selected number of eligiblegroup machines is less that the celebration award for the next selectednumber of eligible group machines.
 15. The method of claim 10, furtherincluding the step of selecting gaming machines for the eligible groupusing a selection criteria, the selection criteria selected from thegroup consisting of whether the player was identified by a playertracking card, an amount of theoretical or actual win/loss, recency ofplay, frequency of a player's visits to a casino, type of games playedon the gaming machine, demographics, interests, historical behavior,specific game type, physical area of a game floor, and denominationplayed at the gaming machine.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein thestep of detecting the trigger condition includes one or more selectedfrom the group consisting of detecting whether an award pool has reacheda certain value, detecting a specific game outcome, detecting sets ofgame outcomes, detecting consecutive game outcomes, detecting “x”outcomes in “y” tries, detecting outcome sets per unit time, detectingoutcomes relative to other players, detecting number of player pointsearned, detecting win/loss per unit time, detecting visit frequency,detecting handle per trip, detecting handle per unit time, detectingcontinuous play, detecting “Lucky Coin,” and detecting “Lucky Time.”